Courting Death
by Kurai Daten-Shi
Summary: Au. In the Kingdom of Magnolia, a prophecy was once foretold of a love between Light and Dark. As the time went by, such prophecies soon became myths and legends. Until one spring night, with the full moon shining high; a prophecy long forgotten is triggered by the love between two beings. One of Light and one of Darkness. Will Magnolia be doomed or will their love survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I have no stake or claim to Fairy Tail. **

**AN: My second story to make it to Fanfic… yea I should first complete Treading Dark Waters but this story wouldn't stop bugging me till I typed it out… so without further ado… Read, Enjoy and Review… seriously Review or PM me I love hearing from those who read my stories.**

Chapter 1:

_**The glow of the moon,**_

_**When spring is at its height,**_

_**Would unite both Dark and Light,**_

_**A creature of the night,**_

_**As pale as moonlight,**_

_**And cold as death,**_

_**Will look upon Beauty,**_

_**Wrapped in gold and bathed in Light,**_

_**A woman of the Stars,**_

_**Would shatter the cold around its heart,**_

_**Bringing Light to where it was only Darkness,**_

_**Death will follow where love reigns,**_

_**Stars will fall and Fire will rain,**_

_**Metal will clang, ice will shatter,**_

_**Doom befalls all in Magnolia…**_

* * *

The cold mist drifted through the dark, dank forest, brushing their tendrils softly along the jagged rocks and naked branches; whispering on the wind. The pale moonlight, shone down from the starless sky. Midnight black painted the sky, dripping down onto the inky black shadows that embraced the eerie grey mist like a long lost lover.

Silence flooded the dark forest, not a sound escaping its clutches. The eerie silence gave a foreboding feeling to all in the forest. Tonight death reigned the starless night and walked along the shadows, prowling after its next victim. A lone figure walked on the barely trodden path, overgrown with weeds and tree roots. The darkness covered the figure, keeping it within its clutches as the figure made its way through the forest.

The figure stumbled along the path, grappling along the trees and grasping in the shadows. Wayward branches snagged at its cloak, pulling and tugging; attempting to lead it of its intended course. When the figure got to the edge of the forest, the mist cleared and shrank away from the moon's glistening rays. The figure clutched its cloak closer to its body, a pained groan filling the silent night.

Shuffling on-wards the figure walked past the threshold of the forest, freeing itself from the shadows clutches. Looking up, the figure glimpsed the dark castle in the distance, upon the side of the mountain. Death stayed behind in the forest, giving up the chase for now; soon its prey will join him in everlasting darkness.

The figure brushed off the chill, pulled its cloak closer and walked on towards the castle. A pained groan, once again filled the silence of the night. The figure stumbled and leaned against the nearest object; that being a tree that has strayed to far from the forest. Moonlight flooded the figure in its ghostly light, glistening off the ruby red droplets that fell to the ground.

As the figure moved off the tree, more droplets cascaded down to the ground. It slowly and painstakingly made its way to the castle. The figure drew laboured breaths, stopping to lean against a boulder. More blood would splatter against the ground with every step that the figure took. Pained gasps and groans would fill the air with every few steps the figure took.

The moon hovered over the figure, bathing it in its light. Shadows crept and slithered along the figure's path, trying to grasp its cloak with long silent fingers. The figure drew its cargo and cloak closer to its body; drawing every near to its destination. Coming to the base of the mountain, the figure looked up towards the dark foreboding castle. The cliffs towered behind the castle, adding a more menacing quality to its appearance.

The moonlight disappeared behind a few wayward clouds, throwing everything into darkness. A pained gasp filled the air as the figure hunched over in pain. Material ripped as the figure fell to the ground. Pained gasps fell from its lips. The cloud passed over the moon, once again flooding the figure in moonlight. The moonlight rippled along the torn fabric, exposing the pale flesh beneath. A shudder ran through the figure's body. A heavy leathery sound filled the night air as two large black wings emerged from the torn fabrics.

Pants and gasps moved past the pale lips that were barely hidden by the hood of the cloak. Pushing itself back up, the figure kept its face hidden and jumped into the night. Flapping its wings with great effort, the figure flew up to the castle; towards the grand entrance.

The figure barely made it to the top of the stairs, when its wings gave out and it plummeted to the stairs below. The figure landed with a dull thud, its wings falling around it in disarray. The figure kept its bundle tightly cradled against its body, being sure to keep the brunt of the force from the landing off its cargo. A groan filled the air that soon changed to a hiss as the figure tried to move its crumpled body.

Hastened steps and muffled voices traveled from behind the doors. The hinges of the doors creaked and complain as the mighty doors were pulled open enough for one lone figure to move through. A dwarf of a man gasped as he saw the sight before him.

A majestic being covered in blood and torn fabric lay across the steps of the castle. The hood of the cloak had fallen back to reveal long glistening red hair. The black wings were draped cross the stairs, broken and beaten. The pale figure pulled itself up into a half seated position. Bracing one hand against the ground, it looked up at the dwarf. Ruby red eyes glistened in the moonlight. Looking down at the bundle in its hands, the figure shuddered as the pain raked through its body.

The dwarf quickly moved towards the figure once it saw that it was in pain. Crouching near it, the dwarf held out its hands, in a means pf helping the figure. The figure looked at the dwarf and with great effort placed the bundle in its hands. The dwarf took the bundle and held it close, standing back up the man made his way back to the door. As he turned back towards the figure, he saw how the pale being greeted death with a smile. The red eyes grew dull as the last breath was stolen by death's final kiss. The figure slumped to the ground, never to rise again.

The dwarf quickly ran into the castle, clutching the bundle close to his body. As he made it to the shelter of the castle, the door swung closed behind him. Candle light glowed softly along the walls. The old man looked down at the bundle in his arms. Heat radiated from the bundled cloth. Pulling the cloth aside, the man was greeted by a tuft of pink hair, shortly followed by pale baby soft skin. The face of an innocent baby was revealed to the glow of the candles. Looking down at the babe, the dwarf silently vowed to raise the child as if it were his own. The pale creature's memory would live on in this child.

**So that's it for chapter 1… like prologue of sorts. Let me know what you think of it? oh and I am working on chapter 11 for Treading Dark Waters, my bleach fic is not forgotten… **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership on Fairy Tail.**

**AN: Well chapter one was received positively. I'm glad about that. Anyway the second chapter is here and with it more information. Read, Enjoy and Review please. **

Chapter 2:

Darkness lay thick across the land, the mountains stood tall and proud in the night sky. The stars shone down on the slumber town of Fairy Tail. The people of Magnolia were securely tucked away in their warm beds, safe from the chill that hung in the air. A slight breeze drifted through the streets, ruffling the leaves and causing a few candles in the lamps to flicker.

The citizens had little thought of what had transpired on the steps of the castle that over looked the town on the side of the mountain. Death had claimed its prize and returned to where it came from, leading the soul of the creature back to the dark depths.

A lone figure walked down the streets of Fairy Tail, keeping to the shadows. The odd cricket that chirped soon silenced when the figure passed. The figure was walking with purpose towards the centre of the town, the dulled light of the lamps barely making out his hooded face, eliminating a strong jaw but dying away before reaching the rest of the face.

The figure walked gracefully and quietly, its footfalls muffled and silent. A stray gust of wind caught the cloak, pulling it slightly to the side. The person quickly grabbed the edge of the hood, keeping his face covered. The figure carried on walking till it came to the front of a cosy bookshop. Looking up, it confirmed the name of the bookstore, _**McGarden's Bookstore**_. The lights were off in the store but that did not stop the figure from knocking on the glass door.

The knocks were soft but urgent. A few knocks caused a light ton go on in the upper levels of the store. A shadow appeared in the window but soon disappeared again. A few seconds later, the door was rattling slightly and a dark figure stood on the other side of the door. The figure that had knocked stood back and waited patiently for the person to open the door.

The door was pulled open slightly and a candle was bought to edge to show who was at the door. The elderly man grumbled slightly in irritation at being woken up in the dead of night. Looking outside he saw a cloaked figure standing in front of his door.

"What do you want? It's way past open hours." The man snapped at the figure. The figure lifted its arms and pulled its hood back. The little flicker of candle light played across golden spiked locks and pale skin. A gruff voice vibrated from the broad chest, "Mr McGarden?"

The elderly man nodded his head in confirmation, "Why do you want to know?"

"Makarov sent me." The figure said in a serious tone. The elderly man's face fell when he heard the name Makarov. Looking outside to see if anyone was around, the man ushered the cloaked figure into the store. When the figure had walked in, the man closed the door and locked it. Turning to the figure, the man looked up at the tall person.

"What's your name son?" the figure turned to look at the man, "Laxus Dreyer."

"Makarov's adopted son hey? Well it's strange for him to send anyone out to town." The elderly man grumbled to himself. He placed the candle on the counter at the back of the store and motioned for Laxus to follow him. "What does Makarov want, Laxus?"

Laxus followed the short man to the back, "Something happened at the castle tonight. A creature died on the steps of the entrance. It left a small baby behind." Lexus started to explain, but was soon interrupted by the elderly man, "Creature you say? Describe this creature please?"

Laxus sighed in exasperation, he was about to do that had the man not interrupted him. "The creature was badly wounded but you could see it had been through hell. It was pale and had dark red hair. Its eyes were red, almost ruby red in the moonlight but what really stood were its large black wings." The man froze when Laxus spoke about the wings. "Large black wings and ruby red eyes? Oh dear… that's not good not good in the slightest." The elderly man started to mumble. He quickly ran to one of the shelves and started to scan the books on the shelf. Laxus turned to see what had the man in such a flat spin, "What's wrong Mr McGarden?"

The elderly gentleman carried on looking frantically for a book, seeming to have not heard Laxus at all. He finally found what he had looked for and grabbed a large volume from the shelf and bought it to the counter. Pulling the candle closer, the man opened the large book and quickly fingered through the pages.

"Where is it? Where is that page?" The mumbles were low and frantic. The rustle of pages filled the silence in the book store. The man quickly flipped through the book and came to a stop near the middle of the large book. "Here it is!" Laxus stood closer to see what the man had found, looking down at the page he could see that there was a drawing of a being much like the one that had died on the steps of the castle.

"Do you know what that creature is?" the question hung in the air as Mr McGarden read through the pages. "Yes, and you'll be very surprised Laxus. That creature that had perished on the steps was none other than one of the originals." Laxus looked down at the man in confusion, "Originals?"

"Yes, you see Laxus, that creature was a vampire, one of the few original vampires to have ever walked the earth. To hear that one has died is a strange occurrence indeed."

The man looked up at Laxus, "It was like you Laxus, only where you were turned, this creature was birthed a vampire. It was one of the first to ever walk on the earth. To kill it would have been a feat on its own, for killing an original is no easy task."

The man went back to reading the book but shortly looked at Laxus again, "You mentioned something about a baby?" Laxus nodded his head in confirmation, yet his thoughts were clouded with what the man had told him. "Hmmm, it would seem that the original had left a parting gift. It could possibly be the child of the vampire, meaning you have an original's offspring on your hands." The man went back to the shelf and took another book down, "It's a good thing Makarov sent you to me. Our family has been a guardian to all the creatures that have stayed hidden in the shadows. We have kept the secrets hidden. This bookshelf can only been seen by me and whoever I deem worthy was seeing it, so no ordinary man can access this information."

He bought the book and opened it, "I think this is why Makarov sent you. He wanted to know what he could do to help save the child." Looking down at the pages, Laxus could see that there was a lot of information written down about how to look after vampires and other creatures. Looking back at the man, he asked, "Is it alright with you if I take this and show it to Makarov?"

The man furrowed his brows in thought but then turned to look under the counter. He bought out a satchel that had odd runes scratched into the surface of the fabric. "You may take it but when you leave here, the book stays in this satchel till you reach the inside of the castle. No one but you and Makarov may look at it." the man's tone was spoken seriously and Laxus nodded his head and took the book and place it in the satchel.

"You have my word; no one else will look at this book or know of its existence." Laxus said as he pulled the strap across his chest, securing the satchel to his hip. He turned back to the man and bowed his head in greeting and turned to leave the store. The elderly man was about to unlock the door, when he heard a click and Laxus left the building. He had forgotten that vampires, even those that had been turned; could move objects with their minds.

* * *

At the castle, all was in chaos. Servants were trying to bury the figure in the backyard as well as clean the steps of the blood. The grave was dug under one of the great willow trees that over looked a pond in the backyard. Makarov was trying to keep the baby quiet, but that seemed to be a task harder than what he thought it would be. The child kept fussing and crying. It was like the child knew it had lost a parent or someone dear to them.

The moon had travelled well across the sky and was slowly leaning closer to the hills. The soft glow of orange and pink could be seen creeping over the hills. Makarov turned and made his way back into the castle, the servants would be fine without his supervision.

He walked to the study where he could sit down and have a closer look at the baby in his arms. He had sent Laxus to the town to find McGarden. He hoped the man would have some information regarding what happened here tonight. Looking down at the baby, he pulled the slightly soiled cloth away. The baby was pale and unharmed. A thick mop of pink hair decorated its tiny chubby face. Rosy pink cheeks were puffed up as the child fussed at being exposed to the cold temperature of the room. As the tantrum grew in volume, Makarov noticed that tiny little scales started to appear near the baby's eyes. He quickly wrapped the child back up and pulled him closer to sooth the child's discomfort. The baby soon quietened down and started to fall asleep. Taking a closer look, Makarov noticed that the scales had disappeared.

Footfalls echoed through the castle as someone made their way to the study. The door opened to reveal Laxus standing there, a little out of breath. "I found McGarden and he gave me a book to give you, said it would help you understand what happened here tonight." Laxus explained as he made his way into the study.

"Did he at least tell you what we are dealing with?" Makarov asked. Laxus looked down at him where he was sitting behind the table, "Yes and he said you would be really surprised once you heard what the creature was." Makarov looked up at Laxus and waited for the man to continue. "The creature was no ordinary creature. It was an original vampire and he guesses that what you're holding now could possibly be the offspring of it." Makarov was shocked to hear that an original had died on his doorstep. He knew such creatures were rare and few. Looking down at the baby, he could see that this was no ordinary baby, no; it was indeed the offspring of the original vampire.

"Thank you Laxus, you may leave the book on the table; we'll look at it tomorrow. For now go rest, it has been a long night for us all." Laxus left the book on the table and made his way out of the study. He stopped at the threshold of the door and looked back at Makarov, "Seems like it's going to be a new addition to the family. What will you name it?" Makarov smiled down at the small bundle in his arms.

"Natsu. His name will be Natsu."

* * *

**AN: And that is where I will be leaving it, hopefully it cleared up a few things… but I am never one to throw all my cards onto the table. All will be revealed as the time comes. Please review and let me know what you think of it. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I have no claim on Fairy Tail. I am doing this fic purely for enjoyment. **

**AN: more will be explained in this chapter with regards to Natsu and Laxus. Read, Enjoy and Review… oh and my vampires are not going to be sugar coated. I did research and these vampires will be fashioned after the age old myths and legends. **

**Translations: (as per Google, Latin) **

**Creatures of the Night. An Insight to their World. - **_**Creaturae autem nox. **_

_**In mundo creata sunt.**_

**Vampire- **_**Iamia**_

**Vampires Origins- **_**Iamia Originum**_

Chapter 3:

_**Creaturae autem nox. **_

_**In mundo creata sunt.**_

The words stood out in golden gothic letters, flowing over the leather cover of the book. Dome of the shine had faded as the book aged with time. The leather was still in pristine condition, well looked after. The leather book was thick by normal book standards; pages filled the space between the two leather bound covers. The pages were lined in gold and a satin red ribbon could be seen peeking out from between the pages.

Makarov pulled the book closer to himself as he made himself at home behind the large desk in the study. The sun had already climbed the skies till it sat proudly in the heavens. The child had instantly fallen asleep once the sun had peeked over the hills. Makarov had been slightly alarmed when he couldn't wake the baby, but after feeling the child's pulse; his worries were soon put to rest. The kitchen maid came in and took over the care of Natsu till Makarov knew what to do with the child.

Now Makarov found himself once more in the study, behind the large volume that Laxus dropped off. He opened the leather bound volume and quickly looked for the topic of his interest. He had opened the book and searched the book till about midway through the volume, where he came across the pages he was looking for.

_**Iamia**_, the word stood out in bold gothic ink with the English translation _**Vampire**_ underneath it. Under the word a creature had been drawn. A creature deemed too beautiful to human. Its face was that of an angel, yet large demonic wings were seen spreading out from its back. Turning the page, Makarov started to read more about the creature that had stumbled across his doorstep, only to die and leave a baby in his care.

_**Iamia Originum**_, the origins of vampires were first written on the page. A lot of it was merely based on myths and legends but one could see, research was done and many of the myths were justified. It has been rumoured that vampires originated from the European lands and possibly Asia as well. It is not known when the vampires came to be but it was become a known fact amongst the few that were told, that only a hand full of the vampires were Originals, otherwise known as the Pure Bloods of the vampires. All the other vampires were once humans that were turned vampires by these Originals.

The Original vampires were creatures that stalked the night. They were seen as creatures who ruled the night, stalking their prey. Their prey first started out as animals in the myths but soon took a more a sinister turn. The myths and legend were told with a darker undertone, the barbs wanted to scare their listeners, so instead of having the vampires kill animals; they retold the tales where vampires would flee into the night, ransack a town of all its virgins and drink them dry of all their blood. Another myth told the tale of how a vampire would stalk his prey from the time they were born till when they came of age, where he would steal them away and kill them. Many of the tales became part of the myths, only few knew the truth.

The Original vampires hardly ever took blood from humans. They needed blood to survive, but that of an animal would be more than enough to stop their thirst. Vampires hardly ever killed their victims, for they needed only a few mouthfuls of blood to stop the thirst, after drinking from their prey they would wipe the victim's memory and the victim would go on as if nothing ever happened.

Vampires were deemed immortal, though no evidence was bought forward to support the theory. Many of the myths told of immortal creatures that would lurk in the shadows. Very few knowledge is known about their weaknesses. Many of the legends and myths that surround them often spoke of silver and sunlight being their weaknesses, but no evidence has been bought forward to support the theory. Many believe it was just to help pick up the trade of silver.

The nature of vampires is that of a complex nature. Although many may not believe in them, they do exist. Vampires are reclusive by nature and tend to keep to themselves. They are solitary creatures and often only stick together in groups of two or no more than five members. They tend to wander from place to place, never staying in one place too long or drawing any attention to themselves.

Makarov looked at the page he had read and shook his head. He wouldn't be able to look after the child with such limited information. As he turned the page, he noticed that the author had added more to the chapter. This was a personal insert and one Makarov hoped would help him a little more.

I as the writer of this book, had the opportunity of meeting an age old vampire, who upon my enquiries, gave me the utter delight of answering some of them. He told me to meet him at a small café near the edge of town, where hardly anyone went to. I deemed it understandable for he was going to give me very valuable information. So I agreed to it and we went our separate ways.

Upon arrival, I noticed him sitting at the back of the café. Once I had taken my seat, I asked the vampire what he would want in exchange. The man merely shook his head and asked that I keep his identity a secret. I eagerly agreed to his terms and got down to business asking all the many questions I had from the myths and legends surrounding the creatures.

As I stated in the previous pages, not much was known of vampires and here I had the opportunity to set the theories to rest. We spent a good part of the night at the café exchanging information. The vampire was very thorough in his descriptions and I eagerly wrote it all down.

Vampires had a slight weakness to silver, being that they receive a slight burn if it was to touch their flesh, but it was easily healed once they drank some blood it seems. He also stated that the severity of the wound inflicted on the vampire would also dictate the amount of blood they would need to drink in order to heal it. Small burns and cuts needed little to no blood for the healing to happen. It only became a necessity for blood consumption when the wound inflicted was of such a severe state that it was needed.

After learning this little bit of information I quickly asked him about the weakness to sunlight and if it was true. He chuckled at that lightly and said it was true to an extent. He further explained that in the case of a vampire being born, they would be sensitive to the sunlight for a few years but would gradually build immunity to the sunlight. Newly turned vampires were in the same boat only that a few weeks to adjust to the sunlight.

Upon learning this I also asked if there were any other weaknesses he could inform me of. He chuckled yet again and shook his head, and replied that he wouldn't reveal all only some of the nature. I had to be happy with that for I needed to learn more and keeping him happy was my top priority.

I then asked about the Pure Bloods or otherwise known as the Originals. The vampire said he was impressed that I knew of that for the Pure Bloods were kept secret even by majority of the vampire population. He explained that the Pure Bloods were seen as royalty at one stage and were treated as such, but as the times changed, many forgot of them, for they gradually disappeared and blended in with history. I then asked him how you would know if a vampire was Pure Blood. He said it's quite simple really, normal vampires and turned vampires are pretty much normal in the aspect of powers, for they have none. But he then told me a very interesting thing, humans that are turned by Pure Bloods, on the rare occasion would inherit the power of the vampire that turned them, but only if a Pure Blood turned them, which in itself was a rare case indeed.

I asked him about the powers that he was referring to. He said that little bit that he knows of Pure Bloods is that they each have powers, what they are no one knows. Pure Bloods also had a closer link to their instincts; they could fly through the growth of wings. Apparently the wings only grew once the Pure Bloods have lived past their first century, or that was what the vampire knew who told me.

Pure Bloods were also closely linked to their emotions and negative emotions, if strong enough would reflect on their bodies in the form of scales and it was rumoured that they were of demonic nature but the vampire told me that is nonsense for the Pure Bloods were not demons, they merely had the appearance of one once provoked to an extent. I asked him how he could state such a thing. He looked at me and said if he was demon he could not go to church or wear the cross around his neck that was made of gold. I asked him to show me the cross, and true to his word a solid gold cross hung around his neck.

The vampire also shared with me that vampires generally drink from animals but would also drink from humans as a delicacy of sorts. Blood he said was essential for them to survive. When I asked him why it was essential for survival and he countered my question with one of his own. He asked me why humans need to breathe air. When I could not answer he said it was the same for them with blood, the reason was self-explanatory, and no blood meant death.

The next question I asked was centred on the immortality myth, the vampire than referred back to when he explained to me the wings for the Pure Bloods. Pure Bloods were rumoured to be immortal but due to the lack of evidence it has been placed as a myth. Vampires born lived a very long life, that when compared to a human's life it was seen as immortality. He explained that once a vampire was born they grew at an astonishing rate. Every year a human child grew, a vampire child grew to that equivalent to two years. Once the child reached the age of 12 in human years, their growth rate gradually decreased until the age of twenty in human years where growth stopped and they would then gradually age at a far slower rate.

I was about to ask another question, when the vampire declared that it was time for him to leave, for he had told me all he could or deemed worthy of note. He was slightly disheartened for I really enjoyed the time I had spent with the vampire.

The personal entry ended there and Makarov was quite intrigued by what he had learnt. Of course he knew majority of it due to Laxus being a changed vampire. What he did not know was that Laxus was changed by a Pure Blood it would seem. Laxus had the ability to manipulate lighting and also create it at some points. He also had the ability to move extremely fast. Makarov could only think of that being carried over from a Pure Blood that changed him.

Makarov put that aside as he thought of Natsu. The baby he now found himself with was a Pure Blood, if by what he read was anything to go by. The creature that had died on his doorstep must have been a Pure Blood if the wings on his back were anything to go by. It was a pity that such a great creature had to die. It would also explain the tiny scales that appeared around Natsu's eyes when the baby's emotions heightened.

Closing the book, Makarov's only thought was that he was in for a tough time. Raising a child was no easy task, and having a vampire child would be double the task. So far he has not regretted it one bit and he would never regret it, for he has gained another child to lead, protect and to help them grow to the best of their abilities. He only hoped to see Natsu through to adulthood, age permitting; but something told him he would be around for quite some time, so that worry was small and pushed to the back of his mind as he made his way out of the study and up to his room where Natsu was waiting for him.

**Terribly sorry for the late post but I have been so busy lately that getting time to write is almost impossible. Also it has also been so cold lately here where I live that my fingers would cramp up from the cold as I type. Poor excuse but true. Hopefully the next chapter will be done sooner than this one. Please review and I hope to get the next chapter out soon. **


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